At its core, we are defining “fake news” as those news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. Sometimes these stories may be propaganda that is intentionally designed to mislead the reader, or may be designed as “clickbait” written for economic incentives (the writer profits on the number of people who click on the story). 

However, it’s important to acknowledge that “fake news” is a complex and nuanced problem, one that is far greater than the narrow definition above. The term itself has become politicized, and is widely used to discredit any opposing viewpoint. Some people use it to cast doubt on their opponents, controversial issues or the credibility of some media organizations. In addition, technological advances such as the advent of social media enable fake news stories to proliferate quickly and easily as people share more and more information online.  Increasingly, we rely on online information to understand what is happening in our world.